Home Away From Home

Our family was able to go on a trip to Utah a couple weeks ago for a reunion. It was incredible to be there. My sister Tauna and her husband Chris planned the whole thing and did a spectacular job. We loved it. It was sad, in a way, to realize how depressed Keara has been here in Arizona by contrasting her mood and personality with how she acted in Utah. She was so happy, so kind, so helpful, and so peaceable. It was like we had our child back. Not that she's been miserable here, but I don't think we realized how weighed down she has been. She had a ball.

I'll talk more about the reunion another time or in another place. But Braden and I talked a lot during this trip about living in Arizona. Every time we leave, we want to stay for good. We are so grateful to be here at this time, but we are itching to move on. We've realized the area we live in is depressed (sorry to all our friends who live here! We're not talking about you!). I know the economy is bad everywhere, but AZ has had it among the worst in the nation and this little town of ours seems to be especially hit. The overall feeling is worry. Being in Utahopia, we realized there really is hope out there in the world. It was refreshing to be there, where the world is full of opportunities just waiting to be grasped. It inspired us again. But we're still wanting to move. At the same time, we're not ready to go yet. And that's not just because the market is bad. We just don't feel like now is the right time. But hopefully in the next couple years. We really have loved Queen Creek and the incredible friends we have made. That is one of the few things that really pulls us to not go so soon.

Anyway, the other thing I felt a lot of while we were there is how great it is to be so close as a family. I love my brothers and sisters and we are truly one large family. There are no in-laws and siblings, no my kids and your kids. Everyone is just family. The feeling of peace was so wonderful. There wasn't a single cross word among anyone the entire time, there were no bad attitudes, no negative anything. It was peaceful. I certainly didn't want to come home from that.

Keara loved playing with her cousin Carter who is 4 weeks younger than her. They had such a great time together, until the last day when a week of no naps caught up with them. My sister, Kerri (Carter's mom), is my best friend so we had a great time together, too.











Why does it always have to end?